'Costco effect' already making impact on fuel prices

THERE is under four months to go before Costco opens at Bundamba and already the "Costco effect" on fuel prices has made an impact.

Drivers reported paying as little as 125cpl for unleaded petrol at stations neighbouring the Costco site months before the warehouse and connected petrol station even opened.

On Tuesday, unleaded was selling at petrol stations in the Citiswich development for 129.9cpl, when the RACQ recommended a fair fuel price in Ipswich was 131.9.

The cheapest petrol in other parts of Ipswich was 132.5cpl at Leichhardt.

The "Costo effect" is already well known in other parts of Australia where Costco has opened, including North Lakes, to push the price of fuel down to stay in competition with the US company's low prices at the bowser.

The company is also already making an impact on the jobs market, advertising for the first of what will be 2850 positions that need filling before the warehouse opens in time for Christmas this year.

Costco is advertising for a food court manager, a service deli manager and a meat department manager for the store.